Young gun's c6 suspension tube chassis mopar cuda

[xtreme]

Hello my name is Gant MacLellan and I am 25 year old car enthusiast and first time builder! I have always had a passion for muscle cars and particularly MOPARS in general. Originally I was going to find a project and restore it to its original condition; however after a couple years of lurking around these forums, the expectation level for my first build has drastically changed.

I fell in love with the CUDA and was finally able to track one down that met my requirements and primarily…………. met my budget. Looking back now, I realized that I picked one of the most expensive cars to build! I knew that it was going to be rusted and I knew that I was going to cut it to pieces.

I have had the car for a little over two years now and it has been a long journey for me to get it to this point. Like many people on this forum, restrictions of time, budget, school, tools, resources, and knowledge have made progress painfully slow. However I am determined to one day complete my project, regardless of how long it takes.

I have done all of the work on the car myself and it’s something that I am particularly proud of. Thank goodness for the Internet, because usually if I did not know how to properly do something, I would just research it until I had a better understanding of how it was done. After graduating from the University of Georgia, I was able to go back to school at a local technical college to take a couple classes TIG welding. I am still not an expert, but definitely can practice enough techniques to get the job done.

Through this build I want to encourage people of all ages and financial backgrounds to build their dream car and never let any frustrations or doubts get in the way. I hope I can show that with a lot of hard work and trial and error, that anyone can achieve the results they want. No matter the level of experience!



I want to thank all of the talented builders, companies, and helpful people that post their work and knowledge on these forums to help people like me understand how to do things correctly and have something to aspire to. If anyone ever has any questions or advice on something that I have done or my experiences, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Spent alot of time on ebay waiting for good deals for c6 suspension parts, pressed old bushings out, balljoints out, sandblasted, smoothed castings, got AN AMAZING DEAL on powder-coating, replaced everything with pfadt suspension kit, arp chromoly studs, new hubs, etc.

My next goal for the car is to blast it again, seal it, then builld my jig, replace the rockers, set the car at ride height, and mount all the c6 suspension at their correct pickup points.

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[Nessumsar]

Wow! What an undertaking. That is really awesome, from one young gun to another. Looks like you basically bought a VIN and frame.

[Bryce]

Cool stuff, I like it when the young guys are building great cars. Im 27 now. My falcon was my first car.

[formula]

Welcome aboard from another young soldier! I'm 24 and my bird was my first as well. Any way we can help out just say the word!

[ALLstrokedOUT]

Wow, thats gunna be awesome!! Ive been daydreaming for a bit of doing c5/6 suspension on my duster, not too many people mess with the front end of mopars, especially designing the frame from scratch. Thats where this website is definatly inspirational no matter the make or model of the project. From yet another young gun (21) to..another welcome! (p.s. that black (72?) duster in the garage is lookin pretty sweet too!)

[RS_Customs]

Very nice project! Will be keeping an eye on this. Graduated from Ga tech, are you still in Ga? I'm up in Woodstock.

Robert

[aray327]

I was amazed at the massive undertaking at your age, then i see that tube chassis big tire mopar next to you and I know you have likely been assisting on builds for a longggg time. You probably have a leg up on a lot of guys on this site. Either way it's a great project and should be awesome when complete!

[CruizinKev]

wow nice project! can't wait to see more!!

[Jon Clough]

keep the pics coming, looking great

[wellis77]

Welcome! I'm excited to see this come together.

[xtreme]

Hey guys just wanted to throw out some updates! Not too much going on, but sourced a complete c5 rear suspension with the upper rails attached, so I can have a good starting point of all the suspension points to build a jig off of! Contemplating duplicating all of the control arms with chromoly tubing, howe racing balljoints, spherical bearings, larger splined hub bearing for a 934cv stub, etc. and then selling off the rest.

Anyways hoping to take the steel next week to have water jet, into my jig pieces along with all the holes.

Got to keep on moving, any progress is PROGRESS!

[xtreme]

Hey Robert, sorry did not catch this im in the cumming/ suwanee area

[astroracer]

I'll be keeping my eye on this thread. This is the stuff I love to see. A young guy getting things done in his own shop, very kool.
Mark

[Chadly B]

wow......subscribed.

[xtreme]

Thankyou I just wish I had the cad and computer design experience that you have!

[irregal83]

good start.. hope to see updates.. im subscribed

[Bjkadron]

Very nice! Welcome! I too would like some more info on the duster..

[xtreme]

Hey thanks BJ!

Some info on my fathers car includes hopefully a final weight of 2000-2200 lbs, full tube chassis duster, 750-850 dodge r3 stroked drysump motor, 15x16 33 tires, airshifter, all fiberglass parts other then the shell, carbonfiber wing, etc. etc. etc. Should pretty much be a monster and a great bracket car, as that is what he loves. This is his third drag car, first was a 68 charger and one duster before this. It will be my first time drag racing, so definitely excited but going to have to take it really slow with this one, as it will be alittle intimidating. Not so much as to the fact of all the power, but to the fact that you have watched you father put so much time, money, and effort into something that you would never want to RUIN lol!

[Bjkadron]

Sounds like a very serious build. I'm pretty sure nobody would object to a build thread on that one either. So what are more of your plans for your car?